Lord we pray "Help me to continually increase parish vitality and reflect the presence of Christ in the world."

Browsing News Entries

Browsing News Entries

Bishop Varden: Don’t Use the Gospel as a Weapon

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Attack on Sacramento parish thwarted (CBS News)

An off-duty detective detained a would-be gunman who was attempting to enter St. Mary’s Church in East Sacramento, California, during an Ash Wednesday Mass for schoolchildren.

Additional ammunition was found in the 20-year-old would-be gunman’s car, the New York Post reported.

Pope, Curia begin Lenten retreat (Dicastery for Communication)

Pope Leo XIV and members of the Roman Curia began their Lenten retreat in the Apostolic Palace on the evening of February 22.

The retreat, whose theme is “Enlightened by a Hidden Glory,” concludes on February 27. Bishop Erik Varden, OCSO, of Trondheim, Norway, who was interviewed on the Catholic Culture Podcast in 2024, is preaching the meditations.

Archbishop Gallagher lauds example of Blessed Eduard Profittlich (Vatican News)

At a conference in Estonia, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations hailed the example of Blessed Eduard Profittlich, SJ (1890-1942), who led the Church in Estonia and was martyred in a Soviet prison.

Blessed Profittlich “gave Estonia a moral voice at a time when great totalitarian ideologies sought to stifle its identity,” said Archbishop Gallagher, who added that he “knew how to weave a network of human and diplomatic relationships that helped elevate the dignity of an entire people. His mission was not political, yet it had an immense political impact.”

Pope Leo reveals he considered becoming a Salesian before joining Augustinians (CWN)

During a pastoral visit to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Praetorian Barracks in Rome on February 22, Pope Leo XIV told members of the Salesian community there that he had considered becoming a Salesian before joining the Order of Saint Augustine.

Nuncio steps down less than year after appointment (CWN)

Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Archbishop Jean-Marie Speich, 70, from the office of apostolic nuncio to the Netherlands, ten months after Pope Francis appointed him to the post.

5 beatification causes advance (CWN)

In a February 21 meeting with the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Pope Leo XIV approved decrees that advanced five beatification causes.

Hungary's president meets with Pope, hails Vatican's peace advocacy (CWN)

President Tamás Sulyok of Hungary met with Pope Leo XIV and hailed the Vatican’s advocacy for peace.

Vatican newspaper deplores Russian invasion of Ukraine on its 4th anniversary (CWN)

The Vatican newspaper decried “four years of bombs, rubble, death, pain, and oppression” as it marked the fourth anniversary of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine with a special section.

Pope offers encouragement to Italian bishops' youth employment project (Dicastery for Communication)

Stating that “no young person in life can be left on the sidelines,” Pope Leo XIV offered encouragement to participants in the Italian bishops’ Progetto Policoro (Policoro Project), in which dioceses work with youth to create small businesses and cooperatives.

The Pope’s address, delivered in Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace on February 21, had four themes: the centrality of the Gospel, the importance of the Church’s social teaching, the “community as an incubator for the future,” and the remembrance of “fathers and mothers in the Spirit,” from Saints Francis of Assisi and Catherine of Siena to the present day.